His name is Kyle Stanley and he has played in 17 PGA Tour events and has won $313,588 in three years since turning professional in 2009, his best finish is a tie for 13th at last week’s Mayakoba Classic in Mexico, and he has played in two majors, he played his college golf at Clemson... and that’s about it.

Stanley shot a 4-under-par 66 for a 134 total, one stroke better than the infinitely better-known Rory Sabbatini, who had the day’s best round with a 6-under 64 for a 135 total on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort & Spa.

“I played well,” said Stanley, a 23-year-old from the unlikely gol hotspot of Gig Harbor, Wash., “I controlled my golf ball really well, which is what you need to do out here. And I also putted well.

“I feel like I’ve been playing well all year but haven’t quite put four good rounds together, but I’m getting better, and that’s the main thing.

I love seeing it when these young players come out of nowhere and start playing well.

Reader Comments (1)

Golf ball made of a rubbery substance or material found in a Malaysian Sapodilla tree. How Robert Paterson was awarded to Malaysia I do not know. What I know is that his golf ball was used until the 1800s. A man who was bored in whose name I forgot the rubber with a bullet wound while waiting for his friend to play golf guess what. And this is the beginning of the modern golf ball. People have discovered however that smooth golf balls are not ideal for the flight because he can not control the pressure in the air while moving at a certain speed.